Kool-Aid Dyeing and Spinning

I started a spinning group this year as a study group extension of our fibercraft guild.



Bette Bossel at the Drum Carder,
Jessie Hanson at the Spinning wheel
with her daughter helping out.

For our May meeting our plan was to learn how to use a drum carder to create batts. I dyed the fiber with Kool-Aid dyes. This was my first attempt at Kool-Aid dyeing and it turned out a bit whimpy in the color department.

The recipe I found on-line said to mix 1 package of Kool-Aid in 8 ounces of water for every 2 ounces of fiber. The fiber
absorbed all the liquid and clearly need more. I added at least another 8 ounces of water to each of my colors and you can see the results above. And all ages were represented.

Too much fun in my studio!

I recently did a bit of traveling and needed a portable project -- or two (I'll write about the other one real soon).  So I ventured off the handweaving path just a bit. I had no clue what it would be when I started, but I packed my size 11 knitting needles and whipped this up quite quickly. When I returned to my studio, I discovered that the thrums (waste yarn after a piece is cut off the loom) from my Zen Jacket were the perfect fringe along with some blue ribbon I had left from another project. So fun!

 

As always, I was inspired by Blue Heron Yarns handpainted skeins. This one is Rayon Loopy in the Mossy Place colorway.

 

Zen Jacket

And here is the jacket I made from the fabric of the previous post, Throw the Shuttle, Beat the Threads. 

This year, I've had lots of fun experimenting with new yarns and creating new fabrics.

 

For this warp I used a hand-painted skein of Bamboo Lace from Blue Heron Yarns and combined it with a solid green Bambu 7 from Silk City sett at 18 ends per inch. The weft was 8/2 Tencel.

 

The finished fabric drape is amazing. I wanted to keep the garment simple to show off the beauty of the color changes. It started out as a simple kimono. Then I added panels under the arms for more ease. It seemed to need something more in front. So I added a shaped neckline with an extra panel for an assymetric front and buttons.

 

The sleeves were twice as long but I didn't like the way they hung. I folded the fabric back on itself and stitched which gave it more stability.

 

I love this jacket. And woven into the fabric is the memory of my much needed zen moments that helped create it.

 

Throw The Shuttle, Beat The Threads

Ever since leaving an office job to study fiber arts, the loom has been my constant companion. And fibers and colors have been my inspiration. 

I do periodically find myself immersed in a creative project on the computer using digital photos and Photoshop. And yes, I get a bit compulsive when I'm working on one of these projects, I hardly come up for air. I have this thing . . . I don't want to stop until it's perfect, especially when it's a commission.

But today, when I finished the computer part of the project, all I could think of was my loom waiting patiently in the corner.

The rhythmic throwing of the shuttle and the beating of the threads into place were just what I needed. No need to think. No need to obsess. No deadline. Just "throw the shuttle, beat the threads, throw the shuttle, beat the threads, throw the shuttle, beat the threads . . ." Ahhh, this is my meditation. This is the space I need right now. This is the way it's been done for centuries, one thread at a time produces a cloth.

And this is where the woven cloth and technology meet.

A Parrot in My Studio

I'm so excited about this new hand-painted yarn in "Parrot" colorway. It's a rayon metallic from Blue Heron Yarns. I now carry several different types of their handpainted skeins in my studio. 

 For this project, I matched the warp threads to create the color blocks. For the weft I used a fine orange bamboo thread. The drape of this fabric is amazing. It's light weight and drapey with just a touch of bling from the gold metallic in the threads.

Right now it's a very long scarf that's draped on my manniquin. Eventually, it may become a garment but for now, I just want to enjoy it in my studio.

Scarves

Teaching has pushed me to try many new fibers and techniques this year. Scarves are quick and easy so instead of small samples, I usually make the warp long enough to be used as a scarf.

The warp on this scarf in bambu, sari silk and ribbon, was incorrectly measured and was verrrry long! Why not cut and sew it and make a little neck accessory?

Busy Summer

It's been a busy summer in my studio. In addition to teaching, weaving and designing new garments, I've been learning to spin on a spinning wheel. I purchased this hand-dyed alpaca roving from Creature Comforts Etsy Store and spun and plied the yarn and knitted the sweet little scarf pictured above. This is my first hand-spun, hand-knit scarf. It's so soft and I love the colors. Thank you, Creature Comforts!
 
On my big floor loom, I've been weaving yardage. This flax blend swing vest was hand-dyed and made in a medium/large size. It's accessorized with a scarf from last fall's collection.

And now that I'm carrying yarn for sale on my shelves, I can't help but knit some of it myself in the evenings. I made this black vest with Prime Alpaca from Galler Yarns. It's so soft and light weight. I can hardly wait for cooler weather so I can finally wear it. I found this fun pattern on Ravelry by Drops Design. I love their style.

The back has a web-like spiral. This picture shows the design but the color is a bit washed out.